Kansas Chamber descends into gutter politics

Republican primary voters have clear alternatives in most of the 52 contested primaries for state legislative races Tuesday, but many of the half million postcards inundating mailboxes this month are designed to hoodwink these voters.

The fundamental choice is simple: Do you support the direction that Gov. Sam Brownback and his political patrons are taking Kansas state government? Or do you believe reassessment and course corrections are in order?

This postcard campaign is being dominated by the Kansas Chamber of Commerce with assistance from the Kansas Club for Growth and Americans for Prosperity-Kansas, three groups that have championed huge income tax cuts for the richest Kansans and elimination of income taxes on many business owners. These groups have successfully engaged in recent primary elections and enforced their agendas upon Republican lawmakers. Their radical tax policies have created the state’s fiscal mess – unbalanced budgets, unfair sales and property tax increases, and a mountain of new state debt.

These groups also advocate unraveling safety nets and targeting budget cuts on the state’s most vulnerable residents. Their policies have diminished core state obligations for highways and universities. They also promote handing taxpayer dollars over to private schools while shortchanging funding for public schools.

Their postcard campaign does not defend the tax cuts or their policies but seeks to befuddle voters into thinking that voting for a state legislator is about other issues, such as “fighting Washington,” “standing up to the establishment,” calling opponents “school yard bullies,” or besmirching local “politicians.”

After driving the state broke, forcing record-high sales and property tax increases, and earning repeated credit downgrades, these groups claim to know the true “conservative” in each contested race.

On top of this deception, the Kansas Chamber finances last-minute attacks on opponents so scurrilous that the chamber itself hides from voters in making such specious charges. A recent mailer smears candidates with scaremongering, such as “taxing seniors” and “raiding Medicare,” the latter a federal program for which the Legislature has no responsibility.

The chamber conceals its mudslinging behind front groups with pleasant-sounding titles, for example, “Main Street Kansas PAC,” a group solely financed by the chamber and run by its vice president for political affairs.

The chamber’s descent into gutter politics stains every candidate it has endorsed, as well as its donors, and further sullies the already dismal reputation of the governor.

This story was originally published July 30, 2016 at 12:07 AM with the headline "Kansas Chamber descends into gutter politics."